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Friday, September 20, 2013

Last week, I was invited to attend Post 390's kick-off Farm to Post dinner featuring produce from Kimball Fruit Farm. Held in a private dining room that was decorated beautifully for the season, this was one impressive meal.

Invited guests mingled before the dinner started, and we were served Smoked Monks cocktails while we chatted. The cocktails consisted of house-smoked bacon-infused (oops) Bulleit Bourbon, brown sugar pink peppercorn syrup, maraschino, Benedictine, and orange bitters. It was strong, smoky, and slightly sweet.

We also enjoyed a Corn Vichyssoise with Jonah Crabmeat (not pictured) and Beer, Tasso, and Cauliflower Fritters, served with an addictive aioli. Post 390 was even considerate enough to make a few batches of the fritters without ham for me.

Once we sat for dinner, our tasting menu for the evening kicked off with Spaghetti Squash & Red Norland Latke, served with arctic char and cortland apple creme fraiche.

Each course was paired with a wine, and this one complemented the 2009 FE Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve, Alsace, France beautifully. All the components in the dish itself worked together very well, and I loved the crispy latke mixed with the perfectly cooked arctic char.

Our second course was the Fried Vermont Chevre BLT (served to me without the "B"). This dish was basically a deconstructed BLT taken up a few notches with a fried green tomato and arugula pesto.

Served with a Francois Chidaine 'Clos Baudoin' Vouvray 2011, this was one successful dish.

Next up, for the omnivores in the group, was the Grilled Kurabuta Pork & Marsala Poached Peach, served with a Berkshire blue-basil mascarpone melt and buttercup squash polenta. Mine was basically the same dish, but Post 390 subbed scallops (from New Bedford) in for the pork.

The scallops were really well cooked, although they were a tad oversalted. The polenta was insanely smooth, and I loved the uniqueness of the marsala poached peach, although it was a little too sweet for my liking. This dish was paired with a 2008 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Soffocone di Vincigliata Toscana, and, per usual, the pairing worked wonderfully.

For dessert, we all enjoyed a massive portion of the Bartlett Pear, Raspberry, and Almond Crisp, served with housemade raspberry ice cream.

Although the portion size was huge, and I was pretty darn full by this point, I managed to eat a few good-sized spoonfuls of this dessert. It was delicious, and I loved it paired with the dry (and not overly sweet) Moscato and Creme de Mure.

All in all, this was one fantastic meal. Chef Eric Brennan really blew us away with his food, and it was lovely meeting the farmers who grew the majority of his ingredients for these dishes. The waiters and chef were also prepared to serve me vegetarian versions of everything, which I really appreciated. It showed that they actually planned ahead, and wanted to make sure everyone was happy with their experience.

Although these Farm to Post dinners are by invite-only, all of these dishes will be available a la carte on Post 390's menu through the end of the month. Oh, and they also had their first beer dinner last week, and will be doing more moving forward (and they are not by invite-only). I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of their beer menu, and it's really, really impressive.

What fall produce are you looking forward to most? (Me: butternut squash and pumpkin!)

I went to one of the Farm to Post dinners last year and it was amazing! I love the way they decorate, those arrangements are stunning. Chef Eric was kind enough to make me an entire vegetarian meal, every course. So happy you had a superb experience!